Iron safety rests



June 9, 1964 E, wENTz IRON SAFETY RESTS Filed April 2, 1962 *Tmaffi L 5 6 luvsmoz:

DDHALD E. WENTZ United States Patent 3,136,516 IRON SAFETY RESTS Donald E. Wentz, P.O. Box 2485, Casper, Wyo., assignor of one-fourth to Gerald L. Evans, Casper, Wyo.

Filed Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,263 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-117.6)

This invention relates to supports and more especially to a flat iron stand adapted to be removably secured to ironing tables and the like, and having a novel type of hold-down means for releasably holding the iron to the support.

It is an object of this invention to provide a support of the class described capable of releasably holding steam or dry irons securely upon ironing boards or tables, even when the latter are rocked or tilted from a normal horizontal position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a flat iron stand wherein the iron is releasably and securely held in position thereon by a toggle joint or snap action.

It is still another object of this invention to provide safety devices for use in the home during and after ironing operations. The present invention will prevent an iron from being knocked from the ironing board due to rocking or tipping of the board, or due to other external forces which may be applied to the iron. Thus the pos sibility of injury to persons in proximity to the iron will be reduced, as well as the possibility of injury to the iron itself.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds when taken. inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of my improved iron rest or stand attached to a table and having an iron releasably secured in position;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the stand shown in FIGURE 1, but detached from the table;

FIGURE 3 is an elevation of the right-hand side of FIGURE a;

7 FIGURE 4 is a sectional detail view taken along line 44 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation similar to FIGURE 2, but showing the position of the parts when the iron is in partially inserted position;

FIGURE 6 is a View illustrating the principle of the invention embodied in a modified structure, and

FIGURE 7 is a view of another modified form.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes an ironing board or table to which the present invention, broadly designated by reference character 11, is removably attached. The invention comprises a sheet of spring steel or other suitable metal having one end thereof bent along lines 12 and 14 to form a substantially U-shaped loop 15, which in turn has lower and upper horizontally disposed legs 16 and 17 respectively, said legs adapted to fit against the lower and upper surfaces of table 10 to clamp the latter. This clamping eflfect is the result of the spring action of the metal combined with the resistance ofiered at bend lines 12 and 14 to the spreading of legs 16 and 17.

The horizontal leg 17 of U-shaped member is bent as at 18 to form a vertically disposed leg 19, the shape of leg 19 being similar to the shape of sole plate 20 of flat iron 21. It will be noted in FIGURES 1 and 3, however, that the outer marginal edges 19a and 19b of leg 19 extend laterally beyond the corresponding outer marginal edges 20a and 20b of sole plate 20, thereby providing a guard or shield to prevent accidental bodily contact with the sole plate, when heated, and the consequent in ury.

Horizontal leg 17 has integral with the upper surface "ice thereof a pair of spaced parallel strips or runners'17a upon which heel 21a of iron 21 slides as it moves to and from rest position in the manner shown in FIGURE 5, or remains when it is secured in rest position as shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

The upper portion of spring leg 19 has a plurality of pairs of vertically spaced holes 23 therein. One pair of said holes has the respective ends of a rod 24 rigidly secured therein by means of nuts 25. The intermediate portion of rod 24 is formed into a loop which is similar in shape to the cross-sectional area of the nose 21b enclosed thereby when the iron 21 is in rest position (FIG-. URE 4). In rest position, the nose'21b is confined within loop 24 while the heel 21a is confined upon runners 17a as a result of the toggle joint or snap action occurring during the insertion of the iron and which will be later described.

The position of loop 24 may be adjusted vertically to fit various sizes of irons by employing another pair of holes 23 to accommodate the ends of the loop. An adjustment may also be made by crimping the rod so that the prescribed clearance 200 will exist between the sole plate 20 and the leg 19 when the iron is in rest position (FIGURE 2).

It is important to note the toggle joint action which serves to releasably confine the iron 21 in rest position on the stand 11. FIGURE 5 shows the position of the parts, for example, as the iron is moved toward rest position. When nose 21b is first inserted into loop 24, a 3-point contact is made which serves as a pivot means, the apex of the sole plate 20 engaging the face of leg 19 as at point 27 (FIGURE 5) while the surface of nose 21b remote from the sole plate engages the inner portions of loop 24 as at points 28 and 29 (FIG. 4). As heel '21:: moves from approximately. the position shown in FIG- URE 5 to that shown in FIGURE 2, the leg 19 is bent, thereby setting up spring tension in opposition to said movement of the heel. Leg 19 continues to bend as the heel 21a rotates about the 3-point contact 27,28, 29 and until the heel passes dead center, after which the heel snaps into the position shown in FIGURE 2 and allowing the leg 19 to return substantially to a straightened position. Stated differently, the distance between the pivot means and a point intermediate the ends of runway 17a is shorter than the distance between the pivot means and the runway portions on each side of said point. Thus when heel 21a of the iron is moving toward and over this intermediate point, which point is located to the left of heel 21a in FIGURE 5 and to the right of the heel in FIGURE 2, the spring leg 19 will flex increasingly until the intermediate point is reached, after which it will increasingly relax. In order to release the iron from the position shown in FIGURE 2, the above-described movements must be reversed as to order so as to repeat the toggle joint action.

The present device has proven its value as a safety measure in preventing accidents to young children and others resulting from pulling heated irons from ironing tables. Furthermore, this safety feature has been incorporated while retaining simple mechanical features which are essential to operation of the device with a minimum effort.

The toggle effect is further illustrated in the modified form of the invention shown in FIGURE 6 in which the stand is broadly designated by reference character 11a. The upper leg 17 of the U-shaped member which attaches to the table, has rigid member 35 extending vertically therefrom, the connection between members 17 and 35 being relatively inflexible. Extending laterally from the upper end of member 35 is a spring member 36, the latter member in connection with members 17 and 35 forming 3, a second U-shaped member or loop for releasably holding iron 21.

At a point laterally removed from member 35 and at the free end of member 36, an opening 37 is provided in which the upper nose portion 21b of iron 21- may be substantially pivoted while the lower heel portion 21a of the iron rotates about the pivot and slides upon leg 17 during insertion or removal of the iron to or from the stand 11a. The distance from said pivot opening to said leg 17 along a line normal to, or at right angles to, the leg upper surfaceis shorter than the distance between the heel 21a and the pivot point or points where nose 21b engages opening 37. Hence, when the iron is in its vertical dead-center dotted line position, the spring leg 36 will be deflected upwardly to its dotted line position to yieldingly resist rotation of heel 21a. Upon further rotation of the heel to the left in FIGURE 6 and to its full-line position, the leg 36 will also return to its full-line position, thereby releasably locking the iron to the stand 11a.

The invention, therefore, contemplates structures in which either the vertical leg 19 (FIGURE or the horizontal leg 36 (FIGURE 6) or both of said legs, may be resiliently and yieldingly mounted for the purpose of producing a toggle effect.

FIGURE 7 illustrates another embodiment 11b of the invention, similar to embodiment 11 shown in FIGURES lrthrough 5, but provided with parallel runners 170 in the upper face of leg 17 and with a second set of parallel runners 190 in the adjacent face of vertical leg 19. These runners are all substantially parallel to a common plane and alined with the path of movement of the iron when it is inserted into or removed from the rest. Moreover, spaced ribs 190 provide an intermediate groove 19d adapted torbe engaged by nose 21b of the iron during such insertion or removal. Ribs 17c and 19c may be stamped when the rest is formed from suitable sheet metal material, or if desired, may be made from separate strips or rods suitably secured to the adjacent faces of legs 17 and In the drawings and specification preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, and although specific terms are employed they are used in a generic sense and not intended for the purpose of limitation, the scope of invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a device for releasably supporting a flat iron having a toe portion and a heel portion, the combination of pivot means releasably engageable by said toe portion, an elongated runway cooperating with said pivot means for slidably supporting said heel portion for longitudinal movement in one direction on the runway when inserting the iron into the holder and in the opposite direction when withdrawing the iron from the holder, spring means for yieldingly clamping the toe and heel portions of the iron between said pivot means and runway respectively, the distance between saidpivot means and an intermediate portion of said runway being shorter than the distance between the pivot means and the adjacent runway portions on each side of the intermediate portion whereby said iron will pass through dead-center position at said shorter distance during insertion and removal of the latter into and from the holder, and means including said intermediate runway portion for confining said heel portion of the iron in inserted position on one of said side runway portions. 7

2. A flat iron support as defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated runway comprises one leg of an L-shaped member and said spring means the other leg of the member.

3. A flat iron support as defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated runway comprises one leg of an L-shaped member and said spring means the other leg of said member, and wherein said pivot means includes a rigid loop secured to the other leg and extending in spaced substantially parallel position relative to the first-named leg when said other leg is in unstressed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,562 Snow Oct. 25, 1927 2,473,731 Shepard June 21, 1949 2,532,848 Kravitz Dec. 5, 1950 2,584,011 Greenberg Jan. 29, 1952 2,760,668 Wiederspan Aug. 28, 1956 2,904,296 Graham Sept. 15, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 269,756 Great Britain Apr. 28, 1927 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR RELEASABLY SUPPORTING A FLAT IRON HAVING A TOE PORTION AND A HEEL PORTION, THE COMBINATION OF PIVOT MEANS RELEASABLY ENGAGEABLE BY SAID TOE PORTION, AN ELONGATED RUNWAY COOPERATING WITH SAID PIVOT MEANS FOR SLIDABLY SUPPORTING SAID HEEL PORTION FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION ON THE RUNWAY WHEN INSERTING THE IRON INTO THE HOLDER AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WHEN WITHDRAWING THE IRON FROM THE HOLDER, SPRING MEANS FOR YIELDINGLY CLAMPING THE TOE AND HEEL PORTIONS OF THE IRON BETWEEN SAID PIVOT MEANS AND RUNWAY RESPECTIVELY, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PIVOT MEANS AND AN INTERMEDIATE 